


Erase Me

by fondonuts



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, tenten is still his sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:59:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2339345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fondonuts/pseuds/fondonuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Japan has many things that Australia does not. there is one thing missing, something close to Rin's heart, that he can't get anywhere else. Sousuke is so far from him, yet still so close.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Erase Me

Breathing in the air of Melbourne, Matsuoka Rin frowns. It is too stuffy sometimes, and something about it tastes dirtier than the air in Iwatobi. Still, he is content.

...As content as he could be, anyway. It was fun, the first few weeks, just he and Haru, but it is lonelier now. It is so quiet with Haru, and not the comfortable silence that he so often had with Sousuke. He always feels the need to speak to Haru, to explain himself like he is guilty of a crime. 

It is easier with Sousuke. They communicated perfectly. They knew each other all too well. For the first few days of his first semester, they skyped one another, but between Rin growing busy and video chatting being so much different than face to face bonding, they fell off of that quite quickly. Now, it is well into second semester and the two haven't spoken in months. He sent Sousuke an email that went unanswered. He doesn't want it to end up like it did before. 

Entering his dorm room with a tired look in his eyes, Rin drops his bag to the floor and nods at his roommate in acknowledgement. Haru is on the phone, speaking in a hushed voice, and by the expression on his face, Rin guesses that it is Makoto on the other line.

As if reading his mind from continents away, Haru stops talking and pushes the phone towards Rin. 

"Makoto wants to say hi."

Sighing, Rin presses the phone to his ear and forces a smile. "Hey, Mako, how you been?" He listens with slight interest as Makoto told him about Tokyo, gushing and raving in a cute way that makes Rin think, if he didn't have Sousuke, he would want to steal Makoto from Haru. He breaks away from thoughts of Sousuke, laughing when he heard Makoto laughing, agreeing or disagreeing with certain statements. He glances up to see Haruka staring hard at him.

"I gotta go, Mako," he says into the phone with a slight smile in his voice, "Haru doesn't want to share you." 

He hands the phone back to Haru, who let it hang in between them for some moments. "There's mail for you. I almost opened it."

"Nice," Rin says with a roll of his eyes, praying that his voice is louder than the thumping of his heart. He turns away from Haru and plops onto his bed to look through the mail. A letter from Kou and a letter from Nagisa and a postcard from Momotarou and a thick catalogue. He picks up the catalogue first, intrigued by how out of place it is. He decides then and there that he would need new clothes soon and begins to flip through it.

His eyes don't really register any of the images on the first eleven or so pages, but he comes to a stop when the breath is nearly knocked out of him.

He flips back to the page that is the cause of all his shock and his eyes widen even more than before. On the full coloured, backgroundless page is a person all too familiar to Rin: sitting on a stool with an uncaring, glum expression on his face, a bored look in his minty eyes that aren't staring at the camera, and his head being tilted back by a woman standing beside him, her hands in his dark chocolate--almost charcoal coloured hair. He's dressed so differently than Rin is used to, in an oddly patterned onesie that had no sleeves but a hood and stopped at the upper thigh, showing off toned, unmistakable legs.  
That is definitely Sousuke.

Holding up the catalogue, he pushes it towards Haru's face. The smaller boy only nods once, unimpressed, and swivels in his chair so that his back is to Rin. The carmine-haired athlete glares for a second or two before turning back to the catalogue. He lingers on the page, analysing each and every detail, then resumes flipping through, in hopes of seeing anymore pictures of Sousuke.

There is another about seven pages after the first, and Sousuke is in nothing but underwear and a watch, standing against a grey background that contrasts with his tan skin and bright undies and even brighter eyes. His shoulders are slumped and he is not looking at the camera but instead at the other man to his left, who is equally exposed and leaning his arm on Sousuke's shoulders. It is as he let's his gaze go down towards the bottom of the image that Rin spots a tattoo on Sousuke's hip, a shark inked in a dark blue-ish, grey tone.

"Oh, Makoto told me a while ago that Sousuke models, now," Haru says once he is off the phone. Rin glances up from the fourth picture of Sousuke that he found. He shots Haru with a glare.  
"What else?"

Haru shrugs, uninterested, as he takes out a pen and his notebook for Humanities. He begins writing, stops, and holds his pen in place as he answers Rin. "He travels a lot. Makoto barely sees him but they talk almost everyday. He is in America right now."

"America!?" Rin exclaims. To his knowledge, back before college, Sousuke never traveled out of Japan. Despite his stature and intimidating demeanor, the brunette was actually less than partial to heights and detested airplanes. Haru only nods, not aware of this situation, and looks at Rin as if he's confused as to why Rin is so surprised. He didn't think much of anyone's looks except how beautiful his Makoto is, but he couldn't deny that Sousuke is hot. He is tall and, despite being muscular, is lean by American standards, with an alluring look in his eyes. Haru nods at this thought and turns to focus on Rin again.

"At Fashion Week in New York City. After that he'll be in Tokyo, London, Milan, Paris. It's a busy time for models."

He sounds almost sarcastic, but Rin is still too shocked to really care. Sousuke didn't ever think very highly of himself in the looks department, and usually gave credit to his eyes as his best feature. He wasn't incredibly self-conscious, but he definitely could do well in a boost if self esteem in areas like his appearance and intelligence. The last thing Rin ever expected of him was for him to end up a model.

"I can't believe..." Rin trails off, eyes still on the page that Sousuke is posing in. He is at a loss for words, still in a state of shock. He always thought of Sousuke as a constant in his life, who would be with him forever, and now he is in America. Rin doesn't have anyone to blame but himself he realises. He left Sousuke again, to go off to Australia, to swim with Haru. He probably grew tired of waiting for Rin.

Haru is watching him when Rin glances up again. With a raise of the eyebrow, he signals for Rin to speak whatever is on his mind. "Well we have the next two weeks off and that's when Tokyo fashion week is. Makoto can call him and we can all hang."

"Alright."

 

Between finals and swim meets, time flies all too quickly. The next thing he knows, Rin is looking out the window, tens of thousands of feet in the air, the sound of his roommate's sleeping breath being the only thing he hears. He slept earlier on in the flight, not wanting to be tired because he knows Kou will come to pick them up.

Rin glances up at the screen that hung from the ceiling of the plane, watching the program without really absorbing it. It’s cut off by a commercial-- that starts off all pastel green until someone dances on the screen. If it wasn’t for last week with the magazine, he almost wouldn’t believe it-- it was Sousuke on the commercial, looking off to the side. A tall woman in a white tank top and a minty green top that matched the background and Sousuke’s eye strutted in, approaching Sousuke. She began to caress his face, Sousuke grabbed her wrist, and the camera is zoomed into her watch. A designer’s name flashed on the screen.

Rin feels his heart beating against his chest and it makes him want to cough hard. Sighing, he closes his eyes and lets his mind wander. He thinks about Sousuke, and how he came to be a model. He was probably at a store or a mall in Tokyo--most likely waiting outside of a shop in annoyance as he waited for his sister to get out--with a bored expression on his face: that usual expression of his that made him look angry, the one that struck fear into first-years at Samezuka. Someone then walked up to him, all tall and bored with perfect brown skin and long limbs, and spoke to him, giving him a business card. Rin is almost certain that Sousuke was planning to just pretend it never happened, but Tien convinced him to call the person later on.

 

He continues to think of different scenarios like this until they land. Haru goes off to find their luggage, and Rin wanders away to go look for Kou. There isn’t too big a crowd--it’s a Monday at the beginning of February, after all, and he can easily spot her pinkish hair, sitting and clutching her phone tight in her hands. He walks up behind her, quiet as a mouse, and smiles as he stands above her. He glances at her phone and sees who she’s texting: Sou-bear. He sighs, and she whips her head around in surprise.

His sister shoots up out of her seat, throwing her arms around him and squealing. Rin laughs, patting her on the back with a smile. Her hair has gotten longer since he last saw her but, she would say the same about him if she wanted. After all, his hair was now long enough to put into a bun at the bottom of his head-- he couldn’t ever find the time to go to a barber, not that he found a good one anywhere near his campus. Kou steps back and seems to be taking him in, sucking in all that she can about his appearance. He could feel his heart melting at how cute she looked with her puffy bomber jacket and scarf wrapped around her neck and mouth. She had on cute little earmuffs, and her cheeks were bright red from the cold.

“Oniisan, oniisan, I really missed you!”

“I missed you, too, Kou. How’s life as a third year?”

The two sit down again and exchange stories while waiting for Haru. Kou tells Rin about Hanatorou, Seijuurou and Momotarou’s sister that she’s been pining after, and Rin tells her about the wacky swim team captain whose even stranger than the older Mikoshiba. Kou talks about colleges she is thinking of going to, saying how she wants to try going abroad but doesn’t want to leave their mother all alone.

Her statement, as innocent as it is with her high-pitched, happy voice, stings him a bit. He left his mother behind to go to Australia.  
He left his mother and Kou and all his friends and Sousuke and didn’t look back.

Kou seems to recognise the gravity of her words, and she puts her hand on top of his, squeezing. “Oniichan, it’s okay...it sounds like you’re having a good time in Australia. Mom and I are so happy for you.”

She is smiling, but there are tears rolling down her cheeks and seeing his sister cry makes Rin want to cry, too. Instead, he takes her hand, and the two smile at each other, falling into a comfortable silence that only two Matsuoka’s could share. They stay like that until Haruka walks over, two bags slung around each of his shoulders and a suitcase of luggage rolling behind him. Wordlessly, Kou and Rin stand, and the three make their way out of the airport.

 

The next person they see after leaving the airport is Rei and Nagisa. Makoto is at work and he asks the two to pick up Rin, Kou, and Haru. They arrive in an SUV, which belongs to Makoto’s parents if Rin can remember correctly, and load their luggage in the trunk. Rei and Nagisa stay in the front, whil Kou, Rin, and Haru take the middle three seats. The air is buzzing with excitement that is mostly coming from Nagisa, as he speaks excitedly about how much he missed Rin and Haru. He talks about the members of the swim team that joined after Haru and Makoto graduated, and how one tried to take his place as the team’s breaststroke swimmer.

“Did you guys know that Sou-chan is a model?” Nagisa asks, whipping his head around to face the three. Kou nods, excitedly, and points at a billboard that they are nearing, the reason the thought popped into Nagisa’s head in the first place.

She smiles then, giving a haughty chuckle. “As expected from my good friend. It’s the best display of his muscles since he’s still unable to do any sports with his injuries. He invited me to be his guest at Fashion Week next week.”

“No fair!” Nagisa whines, reaching over to hit Kou’s knee. The other teen sticks her tongue out at the blonde as he wails. Haruka rolls his eyes as the two start rough housing, Nagisa trying to reach other and pinch Kou and the other shifting out of the way. He keeps getting elbowed in the ribs by Kou and pinched by Nagisa in the crossfire, but he tries his best to ignore it as he looks out the window.

“Will you two stop that?” Rin hisses, ever the parent, slapping Nagisa’s arm away and directing him to return his gaze forward. Nagisa just rolls his eyes but Kou has the decency to look apologetic. Sighing, Rin leans forward to address the driver--who is driving painfully slowly, ten miles below the speed limit. “Oi, Rei, where are we going?”

Rei pushes up his glasses and smirks at Rin through the rearview mirror. “To Makoto-sempai’s job. He should be getting off soon, and he can give us free drinks. His cappuccinos are simply beautiful.”

“Right,” Rin nods, not understanding how a cappuccino can be beautiful but not questioning it either. It’s a thirty minute drive until they park in front of a small, family owned cafe. They all enter, Kou, Rei, and Nagisa running in first, making too much noise, and Haru and Rin lagging from behind. 

A short young woman with two buns in her hair narrows her eyes at the group. “Makoto, your idiot friends are here. For, like, the 100th time this month.” She’s about to go into the kitchen when she spots Rin, standing near the door with his hands in his pockets and a faraway look in his eyes. Her own eyes grow big as she lays eyes on him and she runs over. “Is that you, Rin?”

“TienTien?” 

Almost immediately, Rin recognises Sousuke’s older sister. He grins as she stands on her tiptoes in an attempt to ruffle his hair. She laughs and her laugh is the type to rumble at the base of her throat in a way that’s all too familiar to Sousuke’s. “I remember when you were tiny and  
was big!”

“Yeah, maybe when I was an infant,” Rin responds quickly, eyes twinkling. “How are things, what are you doing here?”

Tien shrugs, gesturing over to Makoto, who is gushing over Haru. “His parents own this place and I got the job here. We became fast friends after I found out he was close to you and Sousuke. Anyway, sit down, order something.”

Rin does as he is told and his food is brought to him quickly. Tien sets his dishes down and sits across from him, and the two talk about Sousuke, and what they’ve been doing in the years since they’ve seen each other. Haru and Makoto are at the table beside theirs, sharing a milkshake and speaking in hushed voices. Kou, Rei, and Nagisa are also at a table, Kou and Nagisa arguing and Rei trying his best to ignore it. It’s all comfortable, in a way that Australia isn’t. He reminds, at that moment surrounded by people he loves--albeit minus a few faces he’d like to see, who it is that’s been swimming for.

 

The week goes by quickly, with Haru staying at Makoto’s house and Rin at his own, connecting with Kou and his mother. They all find time to hang-out, either at the cafe, or the Swim Club, or at Makoto or Haru’s house. It is on Friday morning that Rin finds himself at the airport again, this time with Nagisa, Tien, Makoto, and Rei there, too. Nagisa, Rei, Makoto, and Haru are sitting down, the former two asleep with their heads on top of each other’s, and Kou is standing near Rin, looking around, anxious to spot Sousuke. 

After a few minutes, Tien raises an arm and points her brother out as he enters the lounge. Kou brightens up immediately and begins to wave in his direction. They watch as he squints at them, registering what he sees. Smiling, he makes his way over.

He stops in front of Rin, his smile small and telling. Rin stares at him, breathing him in. His hair has gotten longer too, but not by much. It’s kept out of his eyes by two red clips, and the back is still shaved close to the scalp. His face is the same, changing as much as it can change in the seven or so months since they last saw each other. He looks lighter, happier almost, than Rin remembers during their time back at Samezuka.

They fall back into place immediately, Rin initiating their handshake. Sousuke is in step with him right away and they perform it effortlessly, like things haven’t changed at all. This time, though, Rin moves forward to pull Sousuke into a hug.

“Long time no talk,” Sousuke says, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his tight, black jeans. Rin nods, his smile growing into a grin. He missed hearing Sousuke’s voice. 

He nudges his friend on the arm with his elbow, and the two begin walking side-by-side, with Kou, Tien, Nagisa, Rei, Haru and Makoto a few paces behind them, fussing over god knows what. Rin reaches out to take Sousuke’s suitcase for him, their hands brushing together. He holds the suitcase handle in his left hand, and takes Sousuke’s hand in his right. 

There is an exchange of heat and Rin feels warmth bubbling at the pit of his stomach. He smiles. His hands are full but his heart is free.

**Author's Note:**

> Sousuke is in this a lot less than he should be. I'm thinking of a part two.


End file.
